鮮

Compound ideograph combining:

魚 (물고기 어, “fish”) — symbolizing life, water, and freshness.

羊 (양 양, “sheep”) — representing purity and pleasant scent.

Together, the two animals (fish and sheep) form the sense of “freshness and fragrance”, contrasting with the character 羶 (누린내 전) which means “rancid” or “spoiled.”

The Shuowen Jiezi (説文解字 shuōwén jiězì) interprets it as taking the meaning from 魚 and the sound from 羴, though early inscriptions show varied placements of the components — in bronze script, the fish often appears beneath the sheep; later, during the seal-script period, the two elements were rearranged side-by-side, giving rise to the modern form.

Thus, the original visual logic links fresh fish and sheep meat as archetypes of fresh, wholesome food — and by extension, freshness, beauty, and clarity in general.

신선 (新鮮) — fresh, new

선명 (鮮明) — bright, vivid, distinct

희소 (稀鮮) — rare, scarce (literary)

고울선 (鮮) — beautiful, pure (archaic)

In Korean, 鮮 retains the semantic fields of freshness and clarity, but no longer carries the “few” or “rare” reading found in older Chinese usage.

In ancient Chinese cosmology and medicine, 鮮 represented the vital freshness of living things, associated with balance, nourishment, and clarity.

In early texts, “魚羊之鮮” signified food fit for offering to ancestors — the freshest, purest sustenance connecting human and divine realms.

In poetry and visual arts, 鮮 evokes vivid color and refined beauty:

鮮衣怒馬 (“in bright clothes on a fierce horse”) described youthful vigor.

鮮明之志 (“a clear, bright will”) referred to moral purity.

Modern compounds like 新鮮 (신선) still carry the sense of purity, originality, and energy.

The word extends metaphorically to fresh ideas, fresh starts, and innocence — all carrying the essence of renewal.

鱻 (魚 three times): hyper-form meaning “extremely fresh.”

尟 / 尠: synonymous classical variants meaning “few, rare.”